Director and COO of Graphiti Multimedia, Munjal Shroff tells Nidhi Jain about the kind of books that attract his attention.

My grandfather, Navin Shroff, used to read a lot of books. My school had an amazing library. Apart from that, our teachers made sure we read the right books, starting with Enid Blyton. I was a huge comic book fan, had a massive comic book collection. Due to space constraints, it's been given away to an orphanage. My family also nicknamed me Cartoon.

I love reading popular science.
Kind of book collection you have
Best sellers, science fiction and of late I have been reading management books to understand the method in the madness of the corporate world.

On favourite authors and well written books
Among authors I like Isabel Alende and Ashok Mehta's Ramayana. Also reading Afghan. I like to read a wide variety which are very genre specific like James Gleick's Chaos, I like to read books which explain things in different perspective like in Chaos. In the book it is stated how chaos is part of nature. In a way my reading is drawing those parallel in nature. Books I read co-relate to the work I do in life.

Do you find interesting things in every book? How do you choose books you read?
A recent example of Da Vinci Code. It was successful for merely because it broadened the content, the way the story was taken forward, the way the relevancy was brought in terms of taking clues of the places that exist, being pertinent about the location - the roofline, a particular cathedral, Da Vinci paintings. Fiction is all about creating an imaginary world. I like authors who draw so many relevant clues which exist, the perspective they bring. How gripping it is. It creates enough excitement for the reader to visualise them. As a filmmaker, a book should transport me visually to that place where I am able to feel the fear, that level of involvement comes with detailing. That's the mark of a writer.

Money and time you spend on books
You should confirm that with my wife Mona, especially since it's a competition between me, my wife and my books. Mostly while traveling, I catch up with my reading. I was a voracious reader now I don't even spend 10 % of my time reading.

Your reading pace
If the book is engrossing I can finish it in one night or it can take a month.

Browsing and e-reading
I e-browse a lot. My favourite site is wikipedia. I never managed to do e-reading since there is a limitation of screen space on a palmtop. Though I am a technology freak, I like the smell of the paper.

What do you think of self help books?
Some self help books are well written, some are repackaged like 7 habits, living the 7 habits. It's nice to pick up ideas, beyond a point it's your personality, self help books don't an make earth shattering difference in life.

Books that do not hold you
Self help books. Only a dumb person is going to pick up dummy series books.

Gregarious, god fearing and genuine. Three words which perhaps describe writer producer Ashwani Dhir in a nutshell. Wearing a warm smile, Dhir greets us with a firm handshake as we settle down for a t?te-?-t?te in his simple but elegant drawing room. His homely-looking apartment situated at Goregaon (a suburb in Mumbai) is done up well and what really stands out against the dull purple walls are the huge photographs of his daughter Garima.

"My life revolves around my daughter. Not just that, she has also proved to be very lucky for me. I have prospered only after her birth. Before that life was a struggle." As the doting father continues to help his daughter finish off with her days homework, the tea and the cookies arrive.

There's a telltale frankness about the man, as he gets down to telling us the story of his life and how he managed to get where he is today. At the beginning of the conversation, he declares, "I am not really comfortable in English. When I came to Mumbai, I used to get an inferiority complex. But then that's when I decided to turn the negative into a positive. Over a period of time, because of my strong command over the language, people on the sets started consulting me for writing their dialogues. And till date, I refuse to speak in English."

And so, over a cup of tea, in shuddh Hindi, interspersed with some couplets and interesting anecdotes Dhir tells us the story of his life.

The journey from Kanpur to Mumbai
"I came to Mumbai to make it in the television industry. I knew no one here, so it was either make or break. I tried the film line and worked on two films (Farishte and Tehelka) with Anil Sharma. But somehow, money never came in and it was a matter of survival for me. So, I moved on to television and started work as Assistant Director on Thoda sa Aasman with Deepti Naval. I realised that television is regular and good money. So, I stuck to the medium and as fate would have it, I got into satire writing. Earlier on I used to write for myself. And later the big break came when I got to write Office Office where I could express the common man's angst and struggle. I strongly believe the real awe inspiring stories come from the middle class people. I seek inspiration from everyday situations.

Again it was fate or providence that I moved on from a writer to a producer. The first break was when I produced Ram Khilawan CM which got into controversy and had to be pulled off air. Later, the big break was Public Hai Sab Jaanti Ha. Currently, I am producing Chamca in Chief on SabTV.

On values in life
The city provides equal opportunities for women as well as men and treats them at par, which is wonderful," says the 37-year-old writer. However, I believe there has to be a good mix of our old values along with the new order. "It's like have a drink, but you should know your limits. At media parties one often gets to see people crossing their limits after a few drinks. Also, I feel there should be a certain decorum in the way we use language. I feel language need to be respected and I strongly detest the use of foul and lose language"

Life is a journey of faith
"I strongly believe there's a power above which controls our lives. And it's really the fear of the future which drives us towards faith and prayers,"he says.Reminiscing about his struggling days, Dhir says "there was a time in my life when I didn't have a roof over my head. It was during that phase, that I happened to tag along with a relative of mine to Shirdi . Just after the visit, I managed to wriggle out of all my problems. It was like a miracle in my life and I soon realised the power of prayer. Since then Dhir has become a great follower of Sai Baba and visits Shirdi at least once a month.

"There were times during my lean phase, when I didn't even have the money to buy two tickets for a journey to Shirdi. Then, just one of us either me or my wife would go for the darshan. But today life has changed. Dhir lives life on his own terms, owns a swanky apartment and drives a Honda City.

"I've got more than I had asked for and I am very happy with what I have got," says the contented man who makes it a point to celebrate almost all the festivals. He reveals further, "Though I am a Punjabi myself, I've adopted many things from Maharashtra. So, be it the Ganesh festival or the nine day Navratri, we definitely celebrate it with a lot of gusto.

I am currently on a Anjali Mukherjee Diet
The conversation now switches on to certain lighter issues in life. We chat about his regular diet habits, mobile phones amongst other things. He tells us that for the last few months he has been on a strict diet.

He says,"I am following the Anjali Mukherjee diet presently and have lost more than 12 kgs. I follow the diet strictly except that I've a weakness for sweets. And sometimes, when I can't control, I give in. Losing weight has other advantages from the fact that I feel lighter and healthier.

And what about gizmos and gadgets? He says, "I feel a mobile phone is a necessary devil which does not allow you any peace of mind. Now, people can contact you anywhere anytime and intrude on your privacy. So, one is forced to talk or else switch it off and then face a volley of questions from friends and family. I am sure, this is one device which will be responsible for many divorces in the country," he says on a lighter note. Just then his phone rings. And it's time to leave.

Kaushik Roy, President Brand Strategy and Marketing Communication Reliance Industries Limited talks to Richa Dubey on his love for films and collecting artifacts.

Things that I really love to collect: One is artifacts, anything that is artistic, made of wood, metal or silver. I sometimes buy many things and assemble them together.

I have been collecting paintings for several years, since I used to paint. Many of these paintings are self made and few by other painters. I exhibited my paintings last year that got a good response and all of them were sold. Now there are others who collect my paintings. These paintings are very expensive now.

I have paintings by Gopal Ghosh, who is no more. He was a famous Bengal artist who specialized in landscapes. His work did not fetch him much when he was alive. But now, after his death, these paintings have become much sought after. These have been collected by my father over the years and they have become very expensive. They are invaluable for me. Estimated price of each of this would be Rs 5 lakhs (Rs 500,000).

Since the time I started living on my own I have been collecting artifacts. Initially, my collection was small and not very long lasting maybe because the things I collected were cheap and not durable. When I had more money, I started investing in wood carvings, metals and brass. Now I have slowed down in terms of collecting as there is no space left.

I simply love things that are made by hand as there is a lot of imagination and talent involved in making these things. In most cases, the people who make them are not recognized. So to be able to respect their work, I collect them. They look very beautiful and different.

Most of what I have I collected are from an auction house in Calcutta where you can pick up a beautiful piece of artifact without having to pay a lot. A lot of these are from old auction houses in Calcutta, Mumbai and Bangalore. I also designed a few of them on my own, like the chairs.

Maintenanceis not easy. Metal has to be cleaned from time to time. Wood furniture tends to become weaker over time so they need to be used carefully. Wood has to be treated like a sturdy young man when new and should be looked after when it gets old. A good amount of polish is the best way to maintain wood. Chances of losing wood to white ants are larger than losing it by continuous use.

Most of my artifacts are from India. But I also have been collecting from Thailand, South Africa and a few other places. I have not bought anything from the USA because over there anything that is hand made is of premium price. I don't possess anything European or American I bought rhinoceroses made of wood from South Africa. It is very unique and difficult to make.

In places like Jakarta and Indonesia, they have everything made of wood because of of availability in in abundance. There artisans are also used to working on wood, be it combs made of wood or spoons made of brass.

Silver is a precious item so I don't have many things made of silver. Stone carvings are very rare and I don't have them as they are heavy to carry.

My wife Nina is also fond of collecting artifacts.

Another area of collection is my real passion, films. I invest in buying lots of DVDs. I collect movies which I can watch and enjoy over and over again. Apart from my executive work profile, my biggest love is filmmaking. I am a self trained film maker, have learnt all the aspects of filmmaking on my own.

I have made my first film Apna Aasman, which will release by the end of June. It has Irfan Khan, Shobhna, Anupam Kher and Rajat Kapoor as lead actors.

Therefore, for me filmmaking and collection of DVDs is not just watching but more of a reference. Depending on the response my film gets, I will decide whether to take my filmmaking further and more seriously.

One basic difference between painting and filmmaking is that in the former you can play with the canvas available whereas with latter you cannot. Painting gives a good understanding of framing and composition but the film canvas depends on many external things. Film making is also about performances.

Subhajyoti Ray, president of the Internet and Mobile Association of India, has already penned two books and is getting ready for a third. And no, it's not the virtual world that his pen traverses but the historical one. 'Historian Subho' takes Nidhi Jain on a journey back through time.

What made you write this book?
My first book was Transformation of Bengal Frontier. Spanning a period between 1750 and 1940, this book analysis the socioeconomic changes brought about by colonial rule in a frontier area of Bengal, Jalpaiguri.

It started as a chore as it was my PhD topic and the project grew on me and I became so fond of it that at the end of the day I thought I had written a second PhD. I didn't want it to confine it to a library shelf as a PhD thesis. I went out of my way to get it published. When one is working on a PhD it's like a baby and the final delivery is when the book comes out.

The second book was more interesting, it was co-authored with Sharmila, my colleague at CII, and is called India Building Partnership for CII. The institution was founded in 1985.

Book and Character
I am a historian, interested more in things of the past than present. I wanted to write a corporate history with a different feel of the process and perspective at CII.

Crux of the book
First, it questions certain beliefs, prejudices regarding the agrarian labour industry in the country. It looks at the national movement, management control of labour, agrarian relations.

What's next on your agenda?
Translating a book, an autobiography by a Bengali author. It's a fascinating account of 50-60 years of his life. How he left his home in Uttar Pradesh, lived in Calcutta, then Mumbai, before the First World War.

It will give you more insights into Mumbai than many other books written on the city.

Name: Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay and Varsha Narain

Designation: Research Coordinators - Doordarshan

Sun Sign: Nilanjan - A balanced Libran

Varsha - A go-getter Virgoan

Educational Experience
VN: Schooling at Bishop Westcott in Namkum, Ranchi. Later degrees picked up in the midst of running a household and raising 3 beautiful children. Career took me back to school as a teacher till I landed in Delhi. Delhi provided a wide range of opportunities - right from working with the Corporates to the NGO world and finally as an entrepreneur. Life continues to be the biggest teacher and learning new things every day continues to be a passion.

NM: Haven't had much after school. After a runaway phase enrolled for a Masters in Russian Language in Jawaharlal Nehru University to read Gorky in the original but somehow drifted into journalism - more by chance than by choice. Hoping to realise dream of being the first non-graduate Visiting Prof. at a 'Propah' Univ.

Professional Experience
VN: Wide and vast to say the least. Began as a teacher in the best of public schools after which went on to head the biggest formal school run by a NGO in the Capital. Thereafter, had a stint with the corporates to help out with their programmes in the social sector. For the past two years running the first ever out-sourced Research and Anchor Support agency for Doordarshan News in partnership.

NM: Pen pusher initially and now keyboard puncher with thought processor attached. Name any quality newspaper or magazine published from the Capital, its archives would have something or other written by me. An early gatecrasher from the print media into the electronic in the infancy years of satellite TV, have in recent years specialized in backroom support.

Job Profile
Essential backroom support to faces in news TV. Besides running an agency flawlessly, the work includes providing detailed background notes on issues ranging from cricket to diplomacy, from fashion to elections.

We are the eyes and ears of news anchors besides being important sounding boards for newsroom, graphics divisions to high profile directors. Quiet workers, a creator of an innovative model, our existence underscores that content is really King. Poverty of words and abundance of info: that the motto at work.

After all TV anchors and Reporters have little time to go through heavy tomes. What started out as an exercise to provide data support during election shows has now developed into a full-fledged system that provides the spine to any news channel.

Television as career choice
TV, especially News, is demanding and stretches the ability to cope with demands to the hilt. Everything that is needed by reporters, anchors, producers and editors is always needed yesterday but we have created a system enabling us to meet demands the moment news starts breaking.

In today's age of competitiveness no channel can continue providing quality programming without adequate backroom support. In the final analysis, it leaves us with the satisfaction that though the faces might be different, the words and thoughts --- most of it --- articulated on screen is very much ours.

Current Television scenario
Just about beginning to heat up - especially news and current affairs TV. The 15 second sound byte brigade would have to look beyond that to provide greater depth and add quality analysis.

First there was the novelty of being first with the pictures but soon this is going to be replaced with greater variety. Sooner or later, the pressure will mount on channels to come up with exclusive stories that still remain the domain of the print media.

Right and wrong about the current television scenario
The Right is that more and more competitiveness is coming in. The Wrong is that television news is in danger of being trivialized. There is need to get away from the overdrive of only pretty faces, but also add innovation with creativity.

Five years from now
Five years from now Name, fame, health, wealth and prosperity by our side?And of course the reputation of being the last word in quality and content with our organization "Qualitent Research Group" steadfast in its mission.

Hobbies
Traveling (though currently a casualty), tending plants and feeding birds.

Idea of enjoyment
Chandni raat ho!

Haat mein jam ho!

Aur intellectual funda ka saath ho!

My father was very well read. He was a self made man, a real karma yogi who used to seek inspiration from books. As a child, I remember being inspired by him to read all kinds of books. l used to mostly stick to spiritual books. And being afflicted with polio on my right leg I couldn't get much into sports and so grew to be an indoor person. So, naturally I progressed towards reading and read Dan Brown, Robert Hudlum and Arthur Halley.
Then, since I was spiritually inclined I read all the religious scriptures including the Bhagwad Geeta and the Bible. I used to also read books written by Swami Vivekananda and Osho Rajneesh. Reading these books always gives me a lot of programming ideas for out channel.

Somehow, reading the Bhagwad Geeta is always very enriching. It teaches you to rise above relationships and tells you `you've got to do what you've got to do. Work is worship and that is something which will get you closer to God. And decisions ethically taken will lead you onto grow richer. Somehow, the Geeta always offers a different outlook on things at different times. And depending on the situation it sort of adds on different meanings and a perspective to things in life.

I dislike management jargon
I don't quite like management books. And there are so many of them in the market now-a-days. There are some books which suggest professional people management strategies which are individualistic and not family oriented. But then family oriented companies are still ruling the roost. So, I feel each company should work towards its own style of functioning and evolve accordingly.

I own hundreds of books most of them I've inherited. The titles range from fiction, non fiction, Finance and Law I do keep buying books, these days it does prove to be a slightly expensive hobby but it's well worth. Finding time for reading is always very difficult. I read while travelling on flights, in the car or on holidays.

I have produced a coffee table book called India 24 Hours. It was published in India and abroad by Mapin and Harper Collins respectively some years back. A beautiful book which got me a lot of recognition and was a thrilling experience. We had a team of photographers who travelled to various destinations in the country. We also shot video footage with it. Later on Harper Collins published it abroad and called it a A day in the life of India.

I've recently started penning a book called 'How not to become a pauper' seeing there are so many books on How to become a millionaire. But how does one stay a millionaire is a bigger challenge. Writing the book is actually serious fun.